What an amazing weekend! I could not have asked for a more perfect first marathon experience. I mean, without a few crazy curve balls we just wouldn’t have a fun story to tell.
On Friday afternoon my training partner Heather, her friend Natalie and I loaded the car and headed down to Savannah. We got about ten miles south of Atlanta and traffic STOPPED. Oh great, this can’t be serious. But luckily it cleared up and we were back on our way…. Until traffic stopped again. We were beyond frustrated. We kept reading facebook updates that people were having trouble getting to the Expo to pick up their race numbers. The Expo was held on Hutchinson Island and the only way to get there by car was a two way bridge. Apparently people were stuck in traffic on this bridge for over two hours. The Rock N Roll Savannah facebook page was blowing up. Lucky for us we didn’t have any problems getting in and out by the time we arrived around 6:30 or 7:00pm. We parked, grabbed our numbers, and got out of the Expo in about twenty minutes.
At 4:45am our race day began. We dressed quickly, packed our drop bags and loaded the car. We went to the Savannah Mall to catch a shuttle to the start line. We loaded the shuttle at 5:30 and it took nearly an hour to get the start area. This was one of the worst things about the weekend and possibly my only complaint about the race. Maybe there was a good reason that I don’t know about, but the drive from the mall to the start line could have been about 15 minutes, not an hour if we used the bypass instead of going all the way out and back around the city.
This is the medal my grandfather gave me Friday night. I kept it in my water belt for inspiration during the race.
Pretty soon it was time to get in our starting corals and wait for the gun to go off. Unfortunately, Heather and I couldn’t start together because we were in different starting corals. As if running 26.2 miles wasn’t hard enough, try running it alone with no one to talk to. That was brutal. But I was able to focus on my pace and really take in the surroundings. I kept a great sub 9 minute pace for the 19-20 miles.
I don’t really remember a lot of details from the course but I was slightly disappointed that we didn’t spend enough time in historic Savannah. We went through the “rough” side of town for the first 5 miles of so. This is where I found my favorite fans and spectators. I loved this neighborhood! There were so many older African Americans residents who came out to see the race. They braved the cold weather and sat in their lawn chairs bundled up in blanks, coats, and various other layers of warmth… They weren’t your typical cheer crowd. They didn’t have signs that read “Your feet hurt because you’re kicking so much ass.” They didn’t yell “Go runners go! Keep up the hard work” They didn’t say “Looking good! Stay strong.” No, even better. Instead they just waved and said “Good morning… Ga’ day sir…. Ga’ day ma’am…. Good morning” I wish there was a font for a true authentic southern accent. This was no normal good morning greeting that you hear from co-workers each day… It was more like Gaaa Mawwwnin’ . It was absolutely classic. Made my run so much more exciting. I loved it!
Around mile 8 we got back in historic Savannah and ran through the old streets lined with big old trees and Spanish moss. There were tons of fans and spectators lining the streets… thousands of people cheering for you and holding up hundreds of awesome homemade signs. I love reading the signs the friends and families make for their runners. The next few miles were all a blur… I think there was a down and back through a little neighborhood and then the full marathon split from the half around mile 11. When we split, the lucky marathoners ran about 2.5 – 3 miles down Truman Parkway. Man was it windy here. The good news is it was working in our favor. Again, another blurry part of the race until mile 16. Mile 16 almost felt as good as mile 26. As I approached a street corner I see a Georgia Tech sweatshirt standing next to a taller Georgia sweatshirt. This really isn’t all that odd anywhere in the state, but then I realize it’s my dad and brother. I got really excited and started waving from thirty yards away. I was excited to see them, but also excited to strip some layers. I had taken one glove off about 7 miles ago and never managed to put it back on. Steve was the lucky recipient of two soaking wet gloves and one smelly wet jacket. I saw my mom and Kristin sitting at the next corner and my grandparents were in the car keeping warm. I waved to them got a wave of energy and continued along the way. Only 10.2 to go!
This is where the fun really begins. Right after I left my family we got to the Savannah State section. They had great up beat fun rap music playing and tons of students cheering and lining both sides of the course. Well, I mean who doesn’t love a good rap beat, and in order to keep this race exciting, I had to do what any decent citizen would do…. I broke it down dancing in the street in the middle of the race. I dropped it like it was hot. I shook it like it was a Polaroid picture or salt shaker, whichever you prefer. I was having fun! The cheering section was going crazy, the other runners were laughing, everyone was loving it. So after a little dance party USA I continued along my way. One runner came up behind me and said “You just made my day. That was the best part of the entire race” I responded to him “ I passed crazy about 10 miles ago, so now we’re all just out here to have some fun.”
My fun was drained shortly after that. As we approached mile 20 mile headphones died and I lost my music and awesome playlist. Seriously? This has to be the worst timing ever. I’m still writing this blog today so obviously I survived…. But just barely.
I hit a wall at mile 22 as we were now back on Truman Parkway. There were terrible wind gusts of up to 20 miles per hour! As if mile 22 wasn’t bad enough anyway. Combine that with no music and wind. I think I’ll just die now. But I didn’t. I didn’t train this long and run 22 miles just to let the last 4.2 kill me. So I kept moving forward. All of the runners were in the same rut here. We were tired, achy, and ready to see that finish line. One of my favorite parts about the race was how much each and every runner supported each other. Around 23 I heard a man yelling at himself…. “you didn’t come this far to quit” So I turned to him and said “Keep it up! Looking strong! I know you’ve got this” And he looked up, smiled at me, and kept going. This happened over and over again between all the runners for the next 3 miles.
Here’s one of the scariest thoughts I had during the race…. “Is that a mile marker or a speed limit sign?” We were in a downtown neighborhood approaching Forsyth Park so I knew we had to be close, but I also know you have to drive slow in a neighborhood…. Which was it?… YES! Mile marker. I’m almost there! I heard a man yell “We’re so close I can smell the finish line!”
I was energized, pepped up and ready to see that finish line! What little gas I had left in the tank was drained that last mile. I felt like I was sprinting to the finish line, although it was probably an 8:30 mile at best. As I approached the finish line I saw a blue sign that said “Run Katie Run”. Out of 23,000 runners I assumed there were hundreds of Katies, but under the sign I saw my mom and dad. High five and a few more strides and there I was across the finish line with a medal around my neck. I DID IT! I didn’t really have a goal time, I just wanted to finish. And I did…. 4:11, not too bad for my first race. I’m hoping to keep getting faster and stronger so the next one will be around 4:05(ish). We’ll see.
In Forsyth park with my medal and race t-shirt. I was excited to finally get a race shirt that fit me!
Saturday evening I celebrated the accomplishment with my family. We grilled some hamburgers and for dinner and we also celebrated my grandmother’s 92nd birthday! Man, I’m really blessed with good genes in my family! After dinner we went to see my mom’s family and had desserts. My dessert was coffee and Bailey’s. This should help me sleep!
No rest for this road warrior. Early Sunday morning I was back on the road to Atlanta. I had to be at a training session for new Boot Camp instructors by 12:30. After several hours of that class I finally had a chance to pass out and get some solid sleep.
I really surprised myself with how quickly I recovered and got back to normal. After my first half marathon I was crippled for days. I felt great about 30 minutes after I finished. I was bouncing off the walls and dancing like a crazy fool Saturday night. Sunday I was a little tight and sore from being in the car but Monday morning I was back in action at boot camp for a heavy leg work out!
One down. Twenty-nine to go!
